


People Watching

by veereble_atsim_iali



Series: Even the Devil Gets Lonely (PA!Jonathan A/U) [1]
Category: Welcome to Hell - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, I'm talking about Proveles when I say one-sided attraction, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jonathan is such a serious child, Mephistophele's P.O.V., Mephistopheles' Past, One-Sided Attraction, Tiny Jonathan, but definitely nothing of the sort going on in this part, made up reason why Jonathan ends up a target later, part of a series that ends up Mephistopheles/Jonathan, well a summary of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-13
Updated: 2016-12-13
Packaged: 2018-09-08 10:26:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8841043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/veereble_atsim_iali/pseuds/veereble_atsim_iali
Summary: Mephistopheles spends his breaks people watching in hopes of understanding why Providence likes them so much.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I recently got into Welcome to Hell and my friend Ariel decided to completely enable me with my new obsession, as good friends should, haha. This is part of what I call the Personal Assistant!Jonathan A/U.

The story goes; in the beginning there was nothing. But then She spoke and suddenly the nothing became something- an explosion of color and substance that knocked Her straight off Her feet- and She laughs because it’s all in good fun for Her. She tells it the same way every time, with a grin and a twinkle in Her eye, though they all know that even She doesn’t remember that time too well. 

 

Mephistopheles can, and has, listened to Her tell that story hundreds of time. He could probably repeat it word for word at this point, but most people only care about the parts that concern them so he skips forward by a lot. The creation of the heavens isn’t exactly the most riveting story even when told by an excellent storyteller.

 

She then created the angels to assist Her and keep Her company, and Mephistopheles was proud to claim to be among the first She created. His loyalty to Her was unquestioned and he would freely admit that he had loved her with everything he had- with everything she had given him. It was impossible for him not to. She was more radiant than any sun in Her universe and though She could not give him the same level of devotion, he was happy.

 

Then She created the Earth and Humans.

 

There was nothing Mephistopheles wouldn’t have done for Her, but when She asked him and his brothers to bow to the humans- to love them like they loved Her- he refused.

 

After all, it had been among his duties to test these Humans’ faith in Her and they failed all too often. They couldn’t appreciate the gift She had given them, too blind and stupid to see beyond their insignificant lives. And yet they had Her love and forgiveness like no other creature in all existence could boast, not even those closest to Her.

 

It hurt. And, like most do when hurt and jealous, Mephistopheles had reacted with anger. The fight that resulted was brutal and quick, and even the humans knew exactly how it ended.

 

He and the ones who stood with him in that fight were banished to Hell, locked away from Her and the Heavenly plane, to serve as the final judgement of Humans. It was ancient history at this point, but Mephistopheles could not let go of the bitterness that had pit him against his creator in the first place; it felt as if he was only being proved more and more right about the humans She loved. He was saw front and center the sort of cruelty Humans were capable and it was his job to give that same cruelty back to them- all the pain they gave to others was done onto them.

 

And by doing so, Mephistopheles had found some sense of fulfillment in his job. It wasn’t the most glamorous task to be given, but someone had to serve punishment to Humans. Those depraved souls who didn’t deserve Her forgiveness- no, who had _turned away from it_ like colossal morons, deserving the suffering they got.

 

Still, even the Prince of Darkness could only take so much hellfire and torture before he longed for a little ‘me’ time away from it all. He was limited in the fact that he couldn’t exactly step back on the Heavenly plane, so he was stuck with visiting Earth during his ‘breaks.’

 

These days he people-watched, wondering if he’ll ever see what She saw in them if he looked long enough. Mephistopheles had managed to work past a lot of his bitterness towards Humans- definitely not all of it, of course, and he would never get over the sense of betrayal he was left with- but he still couldn’t understand Her fascination with them.

 

So, in came the watching. All he wanted to know was why and he couldn’t talk about it with Her without it becoming a fight, so he could only get his answers from the Humans. Mephistopheles wasn’t sure he’d ever get an answer but his mind just couldn’t let it go completely.

 

Today he chose to do his watching in a park, taking a seat on a bench in the shade of a large oak without bothering to make himself invisible to the mortals. It was a nice day with a pleasant breeze and a good number people were taking the chance to enjoy it.

 

Children clung to the hands of their parents or nannies, kept under careful watch out of some animal instinct to protect their young. Joggers bounced by in a rush to get nowhere. Teenagers loitered about looking as bored as with it as they did with everything else in their lives. A rowdy group of college students started up a game of football. Nothing all that interesting.

 

Time passed- or at least Mephistopheles assumed it did as he still couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of time- and he was starting to feel sleepy despite the fact that he didn’t actually need sleep. A nap was sounding increasingly appealing especially considering all the work waiting for him back in Hell; he yawned widely, not bothering to cover his mouth, and his eyes watered.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a kid approach his bench only to stop and stare at the former angel. Mephistopheles tried to ignore it, but the kid didn’t move on.

 

He just… stared. With all the blank guile that only children could manage. It was honestly a bit creepy.

 

One glance was enough to know the kid’s whole story (at least for someone like Mephistopheles who could see beyond the kid’s fleshy exterior to his soul). Jonathan Combs, at that tender sort of age when he shouldn’t be far from his mother but all alone without even a babysitter near by. He had a messy head of brown hair and was missing his front teeth- which the ‘tooth fairy’ had left him a whole dollar for. His mother loved him out of a sense of obligation and even the kid was aware of how empty it was, and daddy never spared him more than a glance.

 

In his hands, Jonathan held a two-pack of snack cakes- a treat he had bought himself with his small allowance. It was half-crushed by how tightly he was holding it and the kid’s face was no longer so blank and there was now a distinct frown there.

 

With a sigh, Mephistopheles finally turned his head to look at him. “What’cha want, kid?”

 

The kid hunched his shoulders, fiddled with his treat for a moment before he managed to rip it open. “Here,” Jonathan said was a frown and held out a crumbling snack cake.

 

“Why are trying to give me that for?” Mephistopheles cocked a brow at the kid and leaned down to be more at his level. “It’s yours.”

 

“Just take it.” Jonathan had a stubborn look on his young face and he stared down a stranger without fear. “I want you to have it,” he insisted, though it was a bit hard to take him seriously when his ‘v’s sounded more life ‘f’s. But, clearly he wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

 

Rather than argue about it, Mephistopheles opened his hand and let the kid drop the treat in his palm.

 

Jonathan nodded, as if all was right with the world now, and then crawled onto the bench and took a seat next to the strange adult. He began to eat the other snack cake in his pack without a word.

 

Mephistopheles grinned in a way that usually made people uncomfortable. “Didn’t your mommy tell you not to talk to strangers, kid?” He bit into the cake the kid had given him; it tasted like chemicals and sugar. Technically, he didn’t need to eat but that was part of what made it fun.

 

The kid shrugged, unbothered by the sort-of reprimand or the man’s smile. “You looked lonely.”

 

And that was all there was to it for him. He just wanted to help some stranger feel better though he was somewhat aware that he shouldn’t trust strangers. It was a rather innocent motivation, if misguided and naive that it would be so easy to fix. 

 

(But it was also more than that; Jonathan was a kind soul. It would characterize his entire life- he wouldn’t like or trust people, made people shy by the abusive nature of his parents, and yet he would continue to be kind to others. Giving away his umbrella to a homeless man on the street. Walking girls to their cars when they’ve been harassed by some asshole in the store. Helping lost kids find their parents in the store.

 

(And yet all his personal relationships would be shallow and distant since he couldn’t find it in himself to trust them- to take their intentions at face value. He wasn’t a nice person in general, or at least in the way most people thought being nice was- with friendly smiles and soft words; he was too blunt and direct for that. In the end he would go Upstairs after gliding through life without getting close to anyone.)

 

“What does lonely even look like,” Mephistopheles questioned with a crooked grin and shoved the rest of the snack cake in his mouth. “Is it a certain face you make?”

 

“Don’t be dumb.” Jonathan scowled back at him, looking about as unimpressed as a small child could.

 

Unable to resist, he laughed and ruffled Jonathan’s hair. “What if I really am dumb? Huh, you ever think of that, kid?”

 

Jonathan pushed Mephistopheles’ hand away and then slapped his own hand over his hair as if he could protect it from future attacks. “No, you’re just acting like I’m dumb just ‘cause I’m a kid.”

 

“Maybe I am,” Mephistopheles admitted with an unapologetic shrug, “but most kids are dumb.” His grin was filled with condescension. “I mean, you’re the one who approached a grown up you didn’t know- what if I wanted to steal you away? Not exactly smart.”

 

Jonathan rolled his eyes. “My neighbor is here and she will come running if I start screaming and crying.” He stuffed the last of his snack cake in his mouth, and chewed it noisily. “I’m not following you into a dark alley or nothing.”

 

A quick glance revealed that, yes, a woman pushing a toddler on a swing was watching the two of them closely. She wasn’t there to watch over Jonathan but she certainly would not leave him unattended or unprotected with a stranger she didn’t know, and was on the verge of coming over to check on the kid.

 

“Touché. So maybe you’re not as dumb as I thought,” Mephistopheles remarked casually and scratched the scruff on his chin. He could appreciate someone who actually used their head; all too often it felt like he was surrounded by idiots in Hell, especially now that he was trying to renovate and organize everything. “Hey, you wouldn’t want a job, would ya?”

 

“I’m seven.” Again with the slight lisp.

 

“So?”

 

“I can’t have a job until I’m older,” Jonathan explained with a huff and a look that said ‘duh.’ “Only teenagers and grown-ups can have jobs, you know.”

 

“Right, I forgot about that.” Mephistopheles rolled his neck and climbed to his feet with a grin. “I guess I’ll have to come back when you’re older then. Be prepared to work hard and don’t get dumb in the meantime.”

 

Jonathan screwed up his face. “I didn’t say yes.”

 

“Later, kiddo,” Mephistopheles stated without acknowledging Jonathan’s words and started to walk away.

 

“I didn’t say yes!” 

 

But it was too late; Mephistopheles was already on his way back to hell with a plan to check on Jonathan later to make sure he ended up in hell.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this mainly because in our rp, Mephi calls Jon 'Babycakes' and I came up with a convoluted reason he does that because I absolutely loved it. So, yeah Mephi calls him that because Jon shared his snack cakes with him (not that he remembers that). Ta-dah.


End file.
